Talk by Alex Kidson, former Curator of British Art at the Walker

The autumn of 2021 witnessed the 150th anniversary of a milestone in Liverpool’s cultural history:  the opening of the first Liverpool Autumn Exhibition on 4 September 1871.  The event was organised by a group of idealistic town councillors who believed that Liverpool, the second city of the Empire, deserved a major annual exhibition of the best contemporary British painting.  The show they delivered would become a staple of Liverpool’s artistic life for decades and played a significant part of the building of the Walker Art Gallery, soon to be its annual home.

The talk, given by Alex Kidson, former Curator of British Art at the Walker, surveyed the background to the exhibition, its personalities, its growth, and not least, the famous and some not-so-famous works of art that contributed to its success.